Game apparatus.



IDA MAUDE TITUS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Application filed August 20, 1915. Serial No. 46,405.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Inn M. Trrus, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a game apparatus adapted to be played with one or more balls, which ball, when bounced adjacent to one or more apertured ballreceiving platforms, may find its way through a corresponding aperture thereof, or may remain on the platform, or may roll off the platform into a receiving channel or space, whereby the count of the game may be determined.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement and combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a game apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section substantially on the line 2, 2, in Fig.

1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailsection on the line 3, 3, in Fig. 1.

At 1 is indicated a suitable frame or casing, shown having spaced side bars at 2, 8, and provided with a bottom wall 4 and end walls 5. Between the partsB and 5 is a space 6 and at the central. portionof said space the balls are adapted to bounce. As a means to cause the balls to bounce irregularly I provide a bouncing board or ball receiver 7 which may be in circular form and is shown having an upper surface formed somewhat in the nature of a flat cone. On opposite sides of bouncing board 7 nets are provided at S to divide the apparatus into courts at 9, which may be called the receiving courts, and the intermediate space 6 may be called the courtyard or bouncing court. The nets are shown as carried by frames 10, which may be in the form of wire, to which the nets are attached and from which they are suspended, and in order to provide for snugly packing the apparatus the wire frames 10 are shown pivotally supported at 11 upon the side bars 3. The nets may thus be turned upwardly on opposite sides of the bouncing court, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2 for playing the game, and may be swung downwardly over the bouncing board as indicated in dotted lines in said figure. Platforms to receive the bounced balls are indicated at 12, andsaid platforms may constitute the ball receiving portions of the receiving courts 'as the balls bounce from the courtyard or bouncing court. The platforms 12 are provlded with one or more openings 13, 14, 15 in suitable spaced relation, through which the balls may pass into the space below the platform. The'forward edges of the plat forms adjacent to the courtyard or bouncing court may be upturned as indicated at 12*, in the nature of a barrier to prevent the balls from rolling into the courtyard from the platforms. The openings 13, 14, 15 may be surrounded by difi'erent colored rings, shown at 16, whereby the count of the game may be varied according to values given to the different colors of the rings at the corresponding openings. The balls may have colors corresponding to said rings. The platforms 12 may be made of any suitable material. By preference, the platforms will be made of wire netting. I have shown the platforms comprising the netting 17 secured to wire frames 18, which frames are pivotally connected with the side bars 3 as at 19, so that the platforms may be raised to permit access to the balls that pass through the openings 13, 14, 15 in the spaces below. In such space under the platforms, trays or pockets 20 may be placed for storage of the balls when not in use.

To start the game the platforms are lowered upon the sides 3 and the nets are raised as indicated in Fig. 2. One player then drops a ball upon the bouncing board 7 in order that the ball may bounce over the net into the court beyond upon the platform 12 thereof. If the ball passes through one of the openings 13, 14, 15 the count will be according to the rule of the game, and if the ball rests upon the platform, the count will also be according to the rule of the game. If the ball should roll off of the platform into one of the side spaces 21 between the adjacent side bars 2 and 3, the count will be according to the desired rule. A rule of the game may provide that if a ball drops directly through one of the openings 13, 14 or 15 of a platform without dropping upon the platform, a particular count can be had, and if a ball of a given color drops directly through an opening in the platform having a corresponding color an appropriate count may be made. After a player has used as r the inner edges of the corresponding platforms 12, which nets are intended to require the ball to bounce thereover, in order to count with respect to the dropping of the ball upon a platform, it will be apparent that the nets may be dispensed with.

Changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangements of parts shown and described, as the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims,without departing from the spirit of the invention- I-Iaving now described my invention what I claim is 1 1. A game apparatus comprising a frame provided with a platform to receive balls and a bouncing board carried by the frame on a lower level than and adjacent to the platform and having a cone-like upper surface upon which balls are to be dropped to cause themto bounce therefrom up to the platform.

2. A game apparatus comprising a frame provided with a platform to receive balls and a bouncing board adjacent to the platform and having a cone-like upper surface upon which balls are to be dropped to cause them to bounce therefrom to the platform, said platform being raised above the bottom of the frame providing a space therebetween to receive balls, said platform having one or more openings for the passage of balls to said space.

3. A game apparatus comprising a frame having spaced side bars providing ball receiving spaces therebetween, a platform between the inner of said side bars, and a bouncing board located upon the bottom of said bouncing board, providinga bouncing court therebetween, spaces being provided below the platforms to receive balls passing through the apertures thereof, the edges of said platforms adjacent to the bouncing court being upturned to prevent the passage of balls from the platforms to the bouncing court.

6. A game apparatus comprising a frame, a bouncing board thereon, and apertured platforms spaced apart on opposite sides of said bouncing board, spaces being provided below the platforms to receive balls passing through the apertures thereof, and nets adapted to extend upwardly at opposite sides of the bouncing board.

7:. A game apparatus comprising a frame having spaced bars at opposite sides providing spaces therebetween, apertured platforms pivotally supported upon the inner of said side bars and spaced apart, a bouncing board located in the space betweenadjacent edges of said platforms, and nets pivotally supported by said inner side bars. adapted to extend upwardly adjacent to the inner edges of said platforms.

Signed at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this seventeenth day of August, A. D. 1915.

IDA MAUDE TITUS.

Copier of this patent may be obtained for fivecenfs each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

